Forgive? Forget about it

Although Busch wants to move forward and symbolically sign some kind of truce and drive nice, Harvick is ready to rumble again.

"He knows he has one coming," Harvick said after finishing fifth at Pocono on Sunday, only two spots behind Busch.

The two got tangled up briefly when Harvick forced Busch down the track early in the race.

"I just wanted him to think about it," Harvick said.

The two have been antagonists for a while. Remember last season at Homestead, when Harvick called Busch a "clown" after the season finale?

Well it seems the circus will be coming to town the rest of the season as everybody gets set for Michigan this weekend.

The situation is going to put NASCAR officials in the crosshairs. Officials have been pretty lax with their "boys have at it" hall pass, but there are limitations. You can't have two drivers trying to bust each other up on the track, especially because other drivers might become part of the collateral damage.

For his part, Busch wants to move forward without fear of getting rear-ended.

"Maybe kind of shows his character and who he is, how he feels he needs to race on the racetrack," Busch said. "It's not my fight. He's trying to turn it into one."

Harvick obviously still has issues brought on by a confrontation with Busch in the pits after a race at Darlington Raceway. Harvick, upset at an earlier on-track incident, got out of his car and went after Busch after the checkered flag. Busch responded by pushing Harvick's car into the pit road wall.

That prompted the four-race probation.

But now the checkered flag drops again on the most contentious feud in NASCAR.

There are elements to this that are good for the sport. This isn't a media-driven, force-fed rivalry. Nobody likes each other in this melodrama, and that includes the supporting cast. Richard Childress, the man who employs Harvick to drive for his race team, was fined $150,000 last week for attacking Busch after a trucks race in Kansas.

These are two of the best in the business, not hacks scrambling for a 20th-place finish. Harvick ranks fourth in the latest Cup standings, followed by Busch.

Expect it to be like a crazy food fight. Good luck to NASCAR trying to clean up the mess.